A Change of Heart
by Qamenka
Summary: Fate has bestowed upon Ryou a destiny no one would have ever expected. So, after a painful beginning, will the boy grow to be who he truly is? And how will Bakura deal with this new 'Ryou? Finally updated!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any characters BUT my own should their be any.

A/N: So, it's been quite a long time since I've posted something, very sad indeed but I just couldn't write for sometime since I was kind of depressed so to say. That's the reason I'm not going to post a new chapter of my Mai/Joey fic for a few more weeks. I'm momentarily unable to write any romance-fictions, though I promise I WILL continue the fic. It might take a while but I will. 

Anyway, back to reality: This is my new fanfic: 'A Change of Heart' and you might've guessed who it is about. Ryou and his Yami. Some might have read my one-shot fic 'Torture', uh yeah… well this is nothing like that fic but it's nowhere near romance/ yaoi either.

After reading the prologue you might think I like to torture Ryou, in fact I do think I've some kind of sick obsession but this time Ryou's gonna get back at everyone who's ever teased him for being a wimp or whatever you call him. I suggest you just read the prologue and I guarantee you it's the ONLY Ryou-getting-hurt Chapter! And I'd really appreciate some reviews, even flames, as long as they're reasonable and not just plain stupid. -.-'

Note: This fanfic contains violence and other things not suitable for 'instable' persons or people who are pretty young! It IS rated 'R' as you might've noticed.

_Prologue_

His lungs were on fire, his breath ragged, yet he didn't stop running. 

If one would have asked him why exactly he was putting himself through such torture he wouldn't know himself. All he knew for sure was that he had to get away; he had to run, faster, faster and his fear kept him from giving up.

**_It had been late afternoon when Ryou was finally released from detention (actually a punishment for Bakura tripping Yugi [Yami] in the halls) and had decided to take the short way home, through the park. The sun was already setting, as it was November and the days were pretty short anyway. He had enjoyed the last golden rays, painting Domino a beautiful crimson red and had felt a strange urge inside of him, a feeling as if he remembered some distant memory, though he couldn't put his finger on it._**

**_Just after shaking off that thought he had already found himself slowly walking down a path in the Domino-park._**

Gasping, he stopped. He had been running for hours it seemed, actually it had only been about ten minutes and by now Ryou couldn't see anything but shadowy, grey schemes around him, the reason he didn't dare to run further into the forest he was already deep inside.

He fell to his knees with a small thud, closed his eyes. Rocking back and forth he tried to forget about the searing pain all over his body. Not only were his hands and face scratched from running through the wildness but he was bruised all over, his major wound was his right arm, by now hanging limply at his side, probably broken.

**_Three men had surrounded him. They had been telling him what a pretty-boy he was and how they would like to help him become a real man instead of a wimp. One had held a pocket-knife, the other a broken bottle while their speaker was still fumbling to open his knife, though all three of them were obviously drunk and up for violence._**

**_Ryou had been afraid, yet he had thought that the men would leave him alone if he gave them no reason to hurt him. He had been wrong…_**

**_Just a few seconds later he was on his knees with one of the three drunk crouching behind him holding him down and keeping him from screaming, while the one with the knife was leaning over him, squinting his eyes and explaining to his impatient companions that he still needed to decide where to begin with his master-piece of art._**

He lay curled up in a little tight ball on the muddy ground, cradling his hurting arm. He wasn't sleeping but he didn't need to in order to dream. His nightmare was with him, around him, everywhere, in every little corner. It was inside him and he cried out as he realized that it _was _him. 

His very core began to shudder and only as the sky began to cry for the boy's lost innocence he could finally close his eyes, forget about the world and fall into a deep slumber with a storm raging over the trees, protecting the seventeen years old.

**_He had cried as he had felt the knife slashing his skin the first time, he had also cried the second, third and fourth time, the fifth he hadn't even felt it anymore and the following times he had wished he _could_ **feel the pain.**_**

**_The men had obviously liked to see him squirming in pain and decided to use pure strength instead of a knife if the cuts didn't brought the wanted reaction. So they had pushed him down, banging his head on the ground in the process. They had kicked him and punched him, until one wanted to try something he had seen in a kung-fu-movie._**

**_His scream must have had echoed all over the park as Ryou had felt a bone inside of his arm break. The three tormenters had been surprised by the sudden reaction they had gotten and loosened their hold on him for a few seconds, enough time for Ryou to break free and run into the forest that bordered on the park._**

****

A/N: So what do you think? I hope you've noticed that **_this_ was past and the normal text kind of present. I really hope it was obvious; otherwise it'd be pretty confusing… uh… yeah…**

Poor Ryou though, my little, cute, poor Ryou I'm such a sadist… Bakura's rubbing off… anyway please Review, I know you might think reviewing isn't necessary because there will be other people who will do it, but most of those other people are thinking just like that. 

Anyway, the first chapter will be up by Sunday and I'd really, really like a confirmation that you indeed want this story to continue. So feel FREE to REVIEW!!! Hmm… I know all reviewers get a kiss from… uh … uh Ryou cause I don't think Bakura would agree to do something like that. *searching through some major chaos until….* ahaaaaaaaaaa here he is. So, Ryou you agree with that kissy-thingy?

Ryou: Well, as I obviously don't have a choice *tied to a chair* I guess so *-*'

Q: That's cute, hun! So ya heard him he agrees! *jumps on Ryou's lap and cuddles him* I can't help myself he's just too cute for his own sake.

Ryou: x_x''''''''''''''''''

Q: Well I guess it's time to say goodbye now, be nice Ryou (as if he isn't always …-.-')

Ryou: *choking on some words that sound like: g'bye mates!*

Qamenka: Byyyeeeee *cuddles Ryou*


	2. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any characters BUT my own should there be any.

A/N: Well, here we go, the first (actually it's kind of the second) chapter! As I promised there shall be no Ryou-getting-hurt content anymore. But I'm not about to give the whole story away, you'll hafta read it! BUT I just want to remind you, that this story won't be romantic and it does not include any sort of pairing (no Yaoi). So, there will be no Bakura/Ryou ship AND there will be no Bakura takes revenge on Ryou's tormenters. Uhuh he won't, cuz this is our all famous tomb-robber, he's got a body on his own, the Sennen-Ring (as well as the other items) isn't anymore and in fact he frankly doesn't really _care_ for Ryou. Sorry if ya don't like this BUT perhaps *hint hint* that'll change kind of [NO yaoi] . There's something I give away though, Ryou will take revenge himself. Ooooh, I'll enjoy writing that part. Anyway, please read and review!

Note: This fanfic contains violence and other things not suitable for 'instable' persons or people who are pretty young! It IS rated 'R' as you might've noticed.

_Chapter 1_

__

An old couple taking a walk through the forest had found him two days later. They had thought he was dead, that some murderer was lurking in this forest and had scurried away as fast as possible, informing the police about the corpse of a young boy somewhere in Domino forest only after they had returned home and drunk some coffee to get over the shock.

Just as it was getting dark once again the police had found the supposedly dead and a coffin was already on the way as officer Clarkson thought he had seen the boy twitch. Curious the young officer had looked more closely and soon there was more tumult then ever in Domino forest, for the victim was still breathing, barely alive but not yet dead.

Sirens were heard all over the town and Bakura was grimly complaining about those silly contraptions those modern humans seemed to like. The ex-tomb-robber but most importantly ex-spirit lay awake in the old house he shared with his descendant and once-host, though the boy hadn't shown up for two days which made Bakura wonder.

It wasn't that he cared, he wasn't really worried about Ryou but about himself, after all this place was the only he knew to stay in this world and Ryou was the one to pay for it, or rather his father who still hadn't returned from whatever expedition he went on, years ago. 

Without the boy to help him, Bakura had admitted to himself, he didn't know what to do or where to go.

Still grumbling he got up and walked over to the door leading downstairs into the living-room. There he sighed and let his body fall upon the couch, shifting so he was looking at the blank TV-screen. It took him a few minutes to grab the remote control and turn that blasted box from hell on, watching the moving pictures inside but not really listening to what was said.

The annoying voice of a reporter though brought him back to reality and he listened closely to what was said about an attempted murder in the Domino forest, which wasn't that far away he realized.

Not really caring about it though he grabbed the remote once again to change the channel but was stopped a moment before he could do so by something the reporter said about a white haired boy, whose name probably was Ryou Bakura, to be the victim of this awful crime.

Bakura stared at the TV silently, his eyes wide. So that's what happened to the stupid twit he thought and got up, put shoes on and walked out of the house without even closing the door behind him.

It was the next day when Bakura saw his other half again. Before wasn't really an option as Ryou's wounds had to be tended to, so the 'cousin' had waited where some nurse had told him to wait. Normally he would have just gone out again but this night was surreal, even to him. 

When he was allowed to see the stitched up boy the old, wrinkly nurse that came to fetch him smiled at the five thousand years old with a sad and understanding gleam in her eyes.

"Everything's going to be okay, you know, dear? He'll make it through!" she said and crushed him into her massive body, obviously to make him feel better, but Bakura was about to throw up, feeling that strange woman's body pressing into him and he grabbed her shoulder's roughly to push her away, making the nurse squeak as she fell onto the chair he had previously sat on. 

Disgusted he turned away from her and ignored her calls that he had to put on sterile clothing before entering one of the rooms.

Hands in his pockets he searched for his reincarnations name and found it on the last door. He didn't hesitate, for a tomb robber was none to fear the unknown, especially if the unknown did not even concern him. Still he swallowed as he stepped inside, hearing someone behind him shout for him to not go inside there without proper clothing. Glancing over his shoulder he shut the door again and turned the lock. Hearing an angry shout he grinned, but waited a second longer before finally turning around towards the bed that stood in the middle of the room. 

He was surprised to see how empty everything seemed to be, in fact there was only a strange, beeping monitor next to that bed, contrasting his assumption of hundreds of machines to be needed to keep that weak boy alive.

That boy his thoughts had been lingering on was lying right in front of him, inside of that white bed. His breathing was deep and his body seemingly at peace.

Bandages, with some red-tinted spots, covered his arms and as Bakura looked upwards he also saw it covering the right half of Ryou's face. 

Not really knowing what to do, Bakura stood there for another minute or so, never turning his eyes away from the boy's face. Something seemed to be out of place he thought, feeling a strange aura pulsating around the hurt which he had never noticed before.

"Something's not right here!" he grumbled and took a step away from the still body. He wanted to get out of here and he realized this feeling he felt immediately. He was afraid!

Before he could turn around though, the door opened to reveal a man with grey hair and an angry look on his face.

"Boy, what are you doing inside of here, the nurse told you to wear sterile clothing!" he whispered angrily and answered before the former thief could ask: "An ID-Card can open every locked door inside of this track."

Bakura nodded, not really understanding what an ID-Card was but not really caring anyway.

"Well," the doctor sighed, "since you've managed to come inside here, I guess it doesn't really makes a difference anymore anyway. You're the boy's cousin and his only close relative available, right?"

Bakura nodded his head and put his hands back into his pockets, staring at the odd man in white, who was writing something in his notepad.

"It seems your cousin has had luck on his side. Although he's wounded badly, several times, he's stable and he doesn't need help breathing either. As you can see his right arm was broken, the bone was poking out of the skin, but for today's medicine that was no real problem. Anyway, along with a lot of 'smaller' cuts he has two deep slashes across his chest; the most serious though is the one across his right eye and cheek. We were able to stitch it, without hurting the eye. His eyesight isn't in danger, the eye itself wasn't hurt, though when he wakes up he probably won't be able to open it at first as the cut will have to heal. And that's exactly our problem, Mr. Bakura…" the doctor was by Ryou's bedside now, staring down at the pale boy who had a grim look upon his face. 

Bakura on the other hand was still standing in the same spot, his face bare of emotion but inside he was fighting the need to run. There was no real danger here he thought but added a foreboding yet. 

The boy he had always treated as nothing more than a utensil, which he still was to him, was laying here, half-dead but still stronger than and, as senseless as it sounded, more determined than ever before.

"So," he said and was surprised how weak he sounded right then "what problem are you talking about?"

The doctor looked up from examining his patient and sighed.

"Seeing that your cousin seems to be an extremely strong young man," Bakura almost laughed right then but still this strange feeling held him from doing so, "we believed that he would wake up during the next day, tomorrow which is. But we have, just for insurance, run a few scans of his body as well as his brain. While we have found no inner damage, such as a ripped lunge for example, we _did_ find something strange about his brain. It seems as if," the old man swallowed, "as if he's fallen into a coma, as we could register almost no activity inside of his brain."

Again the doctor looked up towards Bakura who looked shocked.

"It's strange though, that his body functions without any problems, seeing how bad he is hurt that is amazing and impossible the same. I've never heard of a patient in deep coma, hurt like that, who didn't need to depend on some sort of technical help!"

Both men were silent for a while, until the doctor put on a business-like face again and headed towards the door, stopping right in front of it he turned around once more.

"If he doesn't wake up sometime tomorrow we'll be feeding him through a tube, otherwise he'll starve, same goes for the way… outside." He said and then finally left.

Bakura didn't wait long himself and after he didn't hear the doctor anymore he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

****

A/N: Ryou's in coma right now, he won't be for much longer, I promise, or else this story would get no where. BUT you might've noticed that he already started 'kicking-asses' well one ass that is: Bakura's! And he isn't even awake. Also, you're perhaps wondering why I said that Bakura's past is an important part of this fic. It most definitely is and I'll give you a small hint which I hope has been quite obvious. Ryou has got a pretty deep cut over his right cheek and eye now… does that ring a bell? 

Other than that there is the fact that I promised each reviewer a kiss… from Ryou that is.

Well, Ryou you DID promise! So already do your job, we've two reviews!

Ryou: x_x *in coma*

Qamenka: *poking him*

Ryou: *won't wake up* x_x'''

Qamenka: Well, uhm… *nervous* anybody want a kiss from me?!?!


	3. To Become Who You Are

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or any characters. But I DO own my OCs!

A/N: Second (or third, whatever…) chapter! I had, once again a lot of fun writing it. Though it probably depends how you define fun. To me it was fun nonetheless cause this fic seems to write itself, literally. Until now, I've never written a chapter within a day, as I'm pretty critical about my writing style and word-selection and so on and on. This fanfic however seems to be completely different from anything else I've ever written and though, obviously not many people are reading it or think it's worth enough to be reviewed I'm already in love with it. Oh well… I guess I'm babbling… 

Enjoy the third chapter and I'd be happy about a few reviews! Anyway, I still wanted to thank those three reviewers (prologue and first chapter). Well, thank you… uhm… yeah! J

Note: This fanfic's rated PG13 for a reason, think about it! (Still, I decreased the rating from R to PG13 after reading some uhm… fanfics with even more violent content.)

_Chapter 2_

_"Well, what do we have here?" he heard a deep, raspy voice ask above him._

_The little boy was huddled in a corner and had his eyes closed, hoping that if he didn't see anything no one would notice him as well. Obviously his theory hadn't worked in practice._

_Reluctantly he opened his eyes and saw two tanned feet, clad in sandals standing next to his hiding spot. Hesitating a moment he looked up as the feet stepped closer, nearer towards the shadows he was hiding in._

_It was obviously a man standing over him, probably a guard that had seen him run away with the food he had stolen from one of the merchants who had been too busy to watch the dirty, little boy more closely. Almost grinning when the young one thought about the hiding place of his stolen treasures, he was surprised to hear the guard speaking again._

_"Look up, boy!"_

_As he didn't do as asked, the man over him shifted once again, coming even closer and suddenly the boy felt a hand upon his skull, forcing him to look up into the face of whom he had thought was a servant of the pharaoh._

_"You!" he whispered and was rewarded by a smug smirk the dark haired man gave him. The boy had immediately realized who had been talking to him and now he tried to cower even more than before._

_The elder on the other hand frowned at this boy's behaviour; after all he hadn't done anything to him._

_"What's your name, boy?" he asked in a warmer tone as he didn't want to frighten the child even more. Though even than the little boy, probably no more than seven or eight years, didn't seem to be able to relax and a small sob had escaped the child's lips before he could answer._

_"Ba… Bakura!" the small and stuttering voice responded and before the younger could even react the other sat down right beside him, not caring whether his clothes dirtied or not._

_"Well than, Bakura, who am I that you fear me like you do?" he asked, his voice a deep monotone sound to calm this kid he had found in the streets, a place he knew all too well, for he was born there._

_He almost smiled as the snivelling young boy looked up and their eyes met. He had known from the beginning, the moment he had seen him steal that food,  that this child was special, his eyes a deep, crimson red and his hair white as snow, though right now stained a dirty grey. Albinos were rare, especially human albinos and yet it seemed that he had found one, more importantly on who apparently wasn't allergic against the burning sun. _

_The young one was just about to prove it, that he was sure of._

_"You're the one they've been searching for! The one who got into the palace and stole one of the pharaoh's greatest treasures, they say you stole it while he was wearing it. They also say you killed more than a hundred guards on your way outside and even though they've been searching for you a long time by now, they've never found you, but the pharaoh was so mad, they say he cast a curse over you, brand-marking you so that his guards would always be able to recognize you. The mark, that… that's the eye of Horus on your forehead, isn't it?"_

_With every word the boy had spoken his eyes had brightened and now he was smiling, a slight smile, yet the man smirked right back, his face remained serious, though._

_"Damn right you are, kid!" he said and leaned back into the wall behind them, that cast a thick shadow over them, hindering anyone to see the two figures inside the alley._

_"My name is Thail, the most feared and wanted thief in the whole __kingdom__ of __Egypt__! So, what do you say, boy? Do you __want to become a real thief?"_

It took Bakura more than two weeks to make the decision to visit Ryou once again in hospital and as this doctor he had spoken with had claimed, Ryou hadn't awoken from his coma. 

While Bakura was sure that the pharaoh and his friends were visiting his reincarnation as often as possible, he didn't feel up to it, of course, he wouldn't admit that the slightest bit of fear had begun to squirm inside of him when thinking of his former hikari.

He wasn't even interested in what had occurred in that forest Ryou had been found in, but only in what had happened to that soul, which Bakura still secretly claimed as his own.

He had sensed a change in the boy the moment he had stepped inside of that hospital-room the first time. The aura surrounding his former host had changed to a confusing, dark and yet fiery one. Moreover, Bakura was sure that he knew it or at least that it wasn't entirely unknown to him.

When he had been in the hospital to check on Ryou again, he had not only felt this aura clearer than before but was surprised by an arrogant smirk upon the face of the supposedly sleeping one.

He left only a few minutes after he had come!

_The thirteen years old crouched down, becoming one with the shadows around him. No guard had yet noticed that robbers were invading the __temple__ of __Seth__. _

_A group of three men and the young boy, all under the control of Thail, still Egypt's most wanted after more than five years, was killing one lookout after the other, leaving the grounds of the temple, ghost-like and empty._

_The group had agreed that they would start their raid the moment Thail gave the sign: a short, sharp yet not too loud whistle. Tonight, after all was very important to their leader and they could not allow screwing this up._

_Bakura wasn't too fond of the idea Thail had presented them just a few days ago. He didn't complain though, knowing that it wasn't his place to judge his masters decisions, even if it was about his past and those Millennium items which were most definitely a part of it. That he hadn't told Thail on the other hand and the older thief had never asked him about his life before their meeting either._

_Bakura noticed another guard making his way over the moonlit place that lay in front of the temple. This time the patrol, however didn't head for one of his comrades hiding places but for his._

_Grinning, the boy leaned even further into the dark, as he didn't want to alarm the man who was coming closer to his hideaway. The dagger lay secure in his right hand, still hidden beneath the dark cloak he wore over his kilt (¹)_ but ready to strike and to kill.__

_Until only a few feet where between him and the stranger, Bakura waited. He had early learned that patience was a virtue when hunting and to him this was nothing more but a hunt, an opportunity to refine his skills and senses. He may have looked like nothing more but a young boy but ever since Thail had taken him along, he had been learning from the master-thief, benefiting from every strategic plan the elder had had explained to him, watching every move when his role model fought and imitating it, soon being able to defend himself._

_This wasn't his first time raiding either. Would he have told an average citizen that he was part of Thail's gang of thieves for five years by now, robbing with them since two years, he would have been laughed at._

_He took one more shallow breath and grabbed the handle of his dagger harder so it wouldn't slip out of his hand. He watched the guard taking a few more steps his way and when he thought no one would notice from inside of the temple he sprung forward, ducked beneath a frantic blow the guard had aimed at him with his spear, and sprung upwards, pushing the man's head upwards with a hefty blow of his left. The next second the guard was down on the floor. He hadn't even been able to scream before the blade had been slit across his unprotected throat. The only and last sound he made before falling to his knees and than flat onto the ground was a gurgling as he was slowly suffocated by his own blood rushing down his gorge._

_Bakura was looking coldly at the man lying in front of him, whose hands were searching the ground desperately for something to hold on to. But before his finger tips could reach the fallen weapon next to him, he died, eyes still wide and unbelieving that he had been killed… by a child!_

_The 'child' still smirked, satisfied with his hunt and before he even thought about it he lifted his dagger up, sniffing the red liquid on it before dipping his tongue into it, probing the taste of blood. He enjoyed the metallic, yet sweet taste it had but was interrupted when he heard the whistle._

_Swearing he cleaned the dagger with the guard's tunic, looked around once more to make sure it was safe and than dashed over the place, past the main entrance of the temple, to it's right side. Behind him he could hear his fellow-thieves, there feet, clad in sandals made of braided papyrus, hit the ground with soft thuds._

_He turned a corner and stopped. He had arrived at their meeting place: Thail and him would invade the temple from it's right side while the other three were to do the same from the left, so that they could meet up somewhere in the middle. It took only a few seconds, than he heard faint footsteps to his right and looked up to meet his master's eyes._

_Thail nodded and smirked, quirking an eyebrow, blackened with kohl._

_"It's time to raid!" he whispered and his eyes, midnight blue, narrowed dangerously while the sides of his lips were still curled upwards. Bakura knew that now the real hunt began, a hunt after one of the famous Millennium items._

_It was only little time later that they were inside, darting from shadow to shadow, getting closer to the middle of the temple, the place where the item was to be, guarded by a priest._

_"This will be easy, considering what we will obtain!" Thail's words had been and Bakura hoped he was right, because the further his feet carried him he could feel anxiousness grow inside of him._

_The sight of the golden item though, lying on a small pedestal right in front of him when he turned another one of those uncountable corners, let his heart stop._

_He felt a pulsating heat inside of him, coaxing him to come nearer and nearer, to step out of the shadows he was hiding in and just grab the golden, ring-shaped pendant. _

_It was screaming out to him, he could feel it's power, it's 'soul' touch his own and right then he knew that this treasure was his destiny, that he would own it, whether Thail would like it or not, whether the pharaoh didn't want him to or did._

_Hesitating his right hand reached out to touch the gold, to feel it beneath his fingers. He ignored the world around him, everything had stopped and to him there was no time anymore, for a few moments. _

_Then suddenly he felt the pull die down, heard a harsh voice behind him shout for him to watch out. But it was too late as he felt a hot, searing pain on his face. The guarding priest, a boy who soon would be known as the high priest of Seth, gave him his true face._

_"A mere cut across your face is nothing to what could have happened!" Thail told him later, angry at the boy for disregarding everything he had taught him and taking away his opportunity to get his hands on a powerful treasure._

_"No! It's just a small price I have to pay for what I've gained!" Bakura had answered him, not caring if his master would understand that he had not only found his future but the key to finally fulfil promises of the past._

_"So, I will get my revenge and I'll take it with the help of one of those items that where it's reason!" he swore that night, before falling asleep in their hideout to where they had retreated after escaping the small army of priests._

****

(¹)  Men usually wore a short skirt that was called kilt. Workers also wore a loin cloth, which barely covered anything (wouldn't you have just loved THAT on Kura?).  It was common to wear a cloak in winter or during the night, because the temperature tends to drop extremely. 

A/N: Like it? Don't like it? I hope it wasn't too confusing… even if it is, hell I don't care, I'm the authoress… *mwuahahaha* 

Uhm… well, (again) as I promised: no Ryou-hurting! He hasn't woken up yet but I can tell you that he will in the next chapter…

I hope, though you've noticed that the story's in full action now. There's to come even more action (and violence, yeah) but the part written cursive was obviously Bakura's past and it wasn't Bakura reliving his past! Or else I would have made him wake up during the night, sweat-covered, bare-chested, panting (damn, I should have!)… and so on. 

So, it wasn't him who dreamed it! And I don't even want to call it a dream, since the person dreaming 'lives' Bakura's whole life again, I'm just writing a few parts of it and may I add I made most of this up, so don't get any wrong ideas. But since there's almost nothing known about Kura's past I couldn't help it… and I _did_ enjoy pondering about all those possibilities… 

I chose this one because I wanted to add an own character (Thail, who's eye has absolutely nothing to do with Yami-Malik/Marik) and because I thought that Bakura could have used at least some help becoming the thief-lord (I LOVE that name… it suits him and his badass attitude).

Anyway, next chappie is on its way out of my mind into my computer. It'll probably not take very long but at least two days, after all I got this chapter out after just one day! 

And now, please review!


	4. The True ThiefLord

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or any YGO-characters. But I DO own my OCs!

A/N: Finally, after weeks I managed to write the fourth part of this fic. As you might've noticed I promised for it to be updated a long while ago. I'm sorry! I truly am, please believe me. Anyway an explanation is below (second AN) and now on with the ff, kept ya waiting long enough, eh?

Note: This fanfic's rated PG13 for a reason!

_Chapter 3_

_It was three years since the incident at the __temple__ of __Seth__, in Nubt¹. Bakura was by now a sixteen years old man and physically he was what could be called everything a woman could desire (not that he cared)._

_The cut across his face had healed within a short time and now, three years later there was only a deep scar left to remind him of the night he had first felt that there was something like fate._

_Right now he was planning, along with Thail and some other trustworthy men, another raid, which was to take place at the grave of Sethos, former high priest of Seth and father of the current high priest of the god who was Osiri's brother._

_The man, who had died at the age of almost sixty, was a victim of the break-in three years ago, when he was murdered by one of the thieves._

_After the ceremony of mummification the dead body had been brought to a grave near the family residence in __Thebes__ and at the same day his seventeen years old son Setho was pronounced new high priest of Seth._

_The small group around Thail had heard many stories over those three years, of those poor tomb robbers who had tried to enter the grave and had either never come out to see the light again or in a state far worse than death._

_The only explanation for this was that a Millennium item had been placed in the tomb which protected it from any harm, Thail and Bakura had agreed on this, deciding they would raid the mummy of its priceless possession against every common sense that might have seeded in any of them. _

_They called themselves madmen, so why not prove it to everyone else as well?_

_Fear! Helplessness! Terror!_

_All this was there. One could feel the tension lying in the air, smell it and definitely see it._

_People were in panic and running around, hoping to escape the nearing disaster. Everywhere mothers were looking for lost children and merchants tried to pack all their goods so they would not loose any money._

_They were running from the pharaoh, or rather his guards!_

_Once again the famous thief Thail had dared to challenge him. And once again the criminal and his companions had succeeded, won over the man in power and made him look defenceless, vulnerable and most importantly human._

_The pharaoh, reincarnation of the god Horus, had decided that this time the robber had overstepped the line and now his guards had set out to find the traitor to their kingdom._

_They were riding the famous tireless desert-horses, breed to withstand the burning sun, and they did not show consideration for people standing in their way. _

_All in all, the greatest search for one person ever, was a reckless, catastrophic failure leading to infuriate the pharaoh even more._

_It was just a day since the raid had taken place in __Thebes__ and the grave had been ridden of everything valuable. _

_What had been thought to never happen had been done; Thail had once again proved that he stood above any curses, however powerful they might be._

_What the people didn't know though was that it hadn't been the famous master thief who overcame the curse, but the man whom he had taken with him as a child to care for him like a son. But how would they know, if Thail himself didn't know that Bakura had in fact betrayed him._

_It was true! The item known as the Millennium Ring had been stolen, taken by his rightful owner, the one who had been foreordained to receive greater power than most._

_Right now this man was at his hiding place, he had split from the rest of the thieves, told them he had to relax after such an energy draining night and would inform them of further actions on his and Thails side._

_Thail__ hadn't been seen by any of the other thieves since they had invaded the tomb but none cared, they knew he was somewhere else celebrating his victory with a couple of willing women and wine._

_Bakura__ oon the other hand was wandering grounds near the shore of the Nile, away from the papyrus filled swamp area in one of the numerous acacia-forests the last pharaoh had let his servants plant. _

_The young man was wearing his long, blood red coat over a white linen shirt and a kilt that barely covered his knees. His face was shadowed by loose strands of his hair. The expression on his face was indifferent and cold while he clutched something to his chest with his right hand, the other was hidden under the cloak he had only thrown around his shoulders. He continued walking and only after what seemed to be hours he suddenly stopped, standing there between all those trees, casting darkness upon the ground and when his head fell back a deep, loud laugh emitted from deep within him. Clutched in his right was a golden item, a large ring that jingled after the sudden change of movement._

_When his deep laugh ended Bakura smiled, it was a sad smile, only tugging at his lips not lingering for long. Grunting he sat right there beneath the acacias and his left arm snaked out from beneath the rough fabric he was wearing. _

_He held a bundle, a round ball of white linen with red stains._

_Gazing upon it, Bakura whispered a small pray to the gods before slid the "ring" over his head and then opened the knotted ends of the cloth to look within it. Inside was not silver, not gold nor bronze or anything valuable at all. It was a head!_

_An exact, neat cut had separated it from its trunk. The mass of jet black on its scalp was tangled, messed up, the once blue eyes were a cloudy grey with a veil of dirty yellow upon, the mouth slightly open, blood had dried within it and a brown crust covered the thin lips._

_Bakura__ saw nothing within this thing that reminded him of his master but the eye of Horus, by now glowing no more, was proof enough._

_The burning rage within him released itself through a massive scream, echoing over the trees and probably farther. But the sudden moment passed shortly, leaving a hard breathing Bakura upon the ground with silent tears streaming down his tanned face._

_"Why him?" he whispered, "Why did he go in there, he should have known… he wasn't its damned owner. I AM its owner, I'm its true master, its holder, he__ was a fool. Damn idiot!"_

It had been five weeks by now and Ryou was still in coma. Bakura wondered if his feeling was wrong and the boy had not changed at all. He had visited once again but had left when the small kid with the Millennium puzzle had come by, dragging a slightly taller but still small ex-pharaoh behind who had been quick to tell Bakura that he thought it was him who had tried to kill Ryou.

The tall man had snorted, amused by the king of games. He had been in no mood to fight, leaving the two others confused.

**_Almost four years later…                                                                                            _**

_The Millennium Ring was secure around his neck, hidden beneath two layers of cloth which as well hid his features. His rough hands kept the fabric in place and his downcast eyes found the way without complications._

_He was headed for the palace, out for the pharaoh._

_Within a year after Thail's death Bakura had gained the status of the pharaoh's arch-nemesis, the most famous person right after the monarch. There had been nights over nights of raiding, robbing, stealing when he had perfected his skills and slowly learned how to correctly use his Millennium item._

_But then, the pharaoh had died. Not by murder or illness but while sleeping peacefully. More than a year the tomb robber had not appeared again and only when the Egyptians were already beginning to tell tales of his connection to the dead ruler he had begun to reclaim his position._

_While the pharaoh's son, Bel-Um-Fal was still very young when he took in his fathers place, he did so without problem. He was known to be just and a skilled player of the Shadow-games. Considering this outstanding and superior attitude the folk grew to love their latest pharaoh quickly and soon Bakura was once again the nemesis who could not be beaten in wit and most definitely strength by the pharaoh._

_But a final match between these two was destined, those two rivals who hated each other for reasons that were different as day and night, just like themselves. The day approached and both tried to perfect their abilities._

"Damn it!" Bakura swore and glared accusingly at the still body in front of him. Again he was in the hospital, not by choice this time, though. The doctor had phoned him in the morning, asking him to come. As the old man had told him they had sensed unusually high activity within Ryou's brain and they thought he would awaken within the day. 

It was by now midday and nothing had happened, infuriating Bakura immensely. The beeping sound the heart-monitor (what a silly name) made drove the white haired ex-thief almost nuts and he could barely restrain the need to kill something, someone… anyone.

At that moment the beeping changed slightly and breath caught in his throat, the stiff Yami's eyes shot upwards, watching in amazement as cold, ice blue eyes opened to size him up.__

****

(¹) Today Nubt is known as Naqada, a city that lays 24 km away from Thebes and during the New kingdom that's where the real temple of Seth was. I thought it would be better to stick to the reality in this case, I like to be exact. And just for further information, during the time this ff is set in Pi-Rammesses is the Egyptian 'capitol', it's not Thebes.

A/N: Hmm… this chapter was kind of disturbing, don't ya think? I've no idea how the description of Thail's uh… head came to be, it just popped into my head and I couldn't help but write it. You know this when you see something within your mind so clear as if it's real even though you've never seen something alike. As well I left some things open, eg. Thail died, obviously (poor Thail, I liked him ;-;) but I didn't write how exactly he died. Honestly, reader I hope you can fill in that gap on your own, what would a story be without any imagination from your side, huh? 

Anyway, once again I wanna apologize that it took me so much longer to write the next chapter but I had serious writer's block and I've to do a lot of work for school and do my job as well. It's kind of hard and for a long time I was simply drained of any creativity concerning writing. But I promise that the next chapter will be out sometime around Christmas. It might take a few days longer or not. But it WILL be out before January the seventh, that's when school starts again and I do think that the sixth chapter will only be out by eastern (sorry).

I hope you enjoyed the fic and if you did please tell me, if you didn't please tell me as well. What I'm trying to say is: REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!

Let's see, what about five reviews until Christmas???? Please, I'm desperate. -.-'''


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